The comp leaders (Warriors/Saints)...how far will they go?

[umina panther]

@Tommy Smith and his Roosters always fear us come finals time

 

[Clifferd]

I still think the season ending injury to Dylan Edwards is a killer blow. It'll make all the difference in a tight finals game as he's a gun imo.

I'd like to know who the last team was to win the comp without their full strength spine available for all the big games. I know Souffs missed Luke for the 2014 GF but that was against a joke Dogs side and Api replaced him.

When the Panthers won the comp in 2003 I think their entire spine played every minute of the season.

It always plays out that one of the premiership contenders with all its star players available wins the comp.

I mean if Hodgson doesn't get injured in the 2016 finals I reckon the Raiders beat the Sharks wk 1. And if Slater is available the Storm win the comp. And so on.

This is why the Dragons look ominous. Not a single injury and if that keeps up they'll win the comp.

DWZ seems like a “like for like” replacement for mine, meaning they haven’t really missed Edwards that much. Sure he’s a quality player, but judging by the riffs performances he isn’t as crucial as say an Isaac Luke or Shaun Johnson is to the warrior, or a Widdop is to the Dragons.

Both the Warriors and Dragons, if they lose their spine players it’s a massiveee step down it seems

Whereas for Penrith even proving after they lost Cleary, they still fckin kill it. I think it’s their depth that will get them close this year

 

[Tommy Smith]

DWZ seems like a “like for like” replacement for mine, meaning they haven’t really missed Edwards that much. Sure he’s a quality player, but judging by the riffs performances he isn’t as crucial as say an Isaac Luke or Shaun Johnson is to the warrior, or a Widdop is to the Dragons.

Both the Warriors and Dragons, if they lose their spine players it’s a massiveee step down it seems

Whereas for Penrith even proving after they lost Cleary, they still fckin kill it. I think it’s their depth that will get them close this year

I don't trust Dickfingers Zelezniak in the big games.

He has a touch of Kenny Dowall Syndrome about him.

Is Mansour back this year? That'll certainly help. I assume he looks like Robocop with the rebuilt face.

 

[Tommy Smith]

@Tommy Smith and his Roosters always fear us come finals time

Casty scored!

We were robbed in 2014.

 

[Clifferd]

I don't trust Dickfingers Zelezniak in the big games.

He has a touch of Kenny Dowall Syndrome about him.

Is Mansour back this year? That'll certainly help. I assume he looks like Robocop with the rebuilt face.

Ye he does have the odd skd moment, still, not a bad downgrade to have imo

I think the sauce is back sometime this year, dude is a tank

 

[Blues Riff]

Is Mansour back this year? That'll certainly help. I assume he looks like Robocop with the rebuilt face.

https://www.penrithpanthers.com.au/news/2018/05/18/phil-gould-annouces-mansour-re-signing/

Says Rd19 at the latest, and aiming for Rd17.
Be afraid..... and he still looks good.

 

[Iafeta]

As good as Will “The Milkman’s Ken Doll” Smith?

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

If the Panthers were to be made favourites they'd be the 4th in as many weeks. Lets hope that doesn't happen just yet. Let the mug punters continue to think 8 from 11 is a fluke.

The current favoriutes and defending premiers have lost to the Tigers twice. Scrappy both times. The previous favourites lost to them as well, and that was scrappy too. Wests are a grafting sort of footy team involved in a lot of scrappy games. The Panthers are as well to a lesser degree. These are teams that play to their strengths, which are forwards and halves. The teams with the flashy backlines and marshmallow forward packs are all sitting mid-table.

Who said 8/11 was a fluke? I haven't seen a single person say that anywhere.

 

[TheFrog]

Who said 8/11 was a fluke? I haven't seen a single person say that anywhere.

Not saying you did. The suggestion was that the side is still "under the radar" and not yet the subject of the sort of betting plunges that would make them favourites.

@Tommy Smith and his Roosters always fear us come finals time

You could hardly blame him this year, given the exploits of the two forward packs.

 

[KeepingTheFaith]

Not saying you did. The suggestion was that the side is still "under the radar" and not yet the subject of the sort of betting plunges that would make them favourites.

I never accused you of saying I did. Like I said, I haven't seen anyone say that 8/11 is a fluke just as I haven't seen anyone say the Panthers are "under the radar".

You could hardly blame him this year, given the exploits of the two forward packs.

 

[Penrose Warrior]

Remember, no Johnson, no RTS. I dare anyone on this forum to go back to their thoughts on us pre season and think what they thought would happen to us if either one was out, let alone both. We get brutalised methodolically consistently by poor referees, and yet here we stand, 8 and 3.

Your example on Chris Satae is ludicrous. Parramatta has the ball for the entirety of his spell. He kept making tackles left right and centre as they tried to attack him in the middle.

Stats are important. But don’t discount spirit to overcome difficult situations. I like the balance of our pack, add that touch of claws back onto the end of it and it’s now a very well balanced team.

Point taken but it doesn't negate what I said about our props. We've been exposed a few times now.

 

[Iafeta]

As has every team frankly.

 

[AlwaysGreen]

Warriors are welcome to have Charlie Gubb back

 

[One Warrior]

Warriors are welcome to have Charlie Gubb back

Thanks for the offer, but you can keep him.

 

[Iafeta]

Warriors are welcome to have Charlie Gubb back

He’s always dreamed of being a cornerstone of a forward pack. Now through Sticky he’s got it.

It’s quite funny, Lolohea, Hingano, Gubb all left to be starting footballers and peeps gave it to the Warriors that they showed no faith in these super talents. They’re all going awful at their new clubs imo.

 

[Meapro Ham]

And here come the mongs!

Look out here come the mongs again

 

[Hutty1986]

Look out here come the mongs again

Right on cue!

 

[OzDragon]

Penrith are favourites now and deservedly so. The tag seems to change every few weeks - roosters - warriors - dragons - panthers

 

[I Bleed Maroon]

The Warriors are in worse shape than Merge right now but if this trend for both sides continues, this thread will be pretty lol worthy in about a couple of months

 

[Tommy Smith]

Dragons are still well in this. A slump had to come. Their biggest flaw is that their coach is a mong.

Atm you'd have to say the winner of the comp will come from:

Penrith
Dragons
Souths
Storm

A clear gap between the top 4 and the rest has arisen as it often does around midseason.